


Fox Inside

by Treerat



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universes, F/M, Likely a slow burn, Multi, will add tags as story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-03-09 22:00:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18925831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treerat/pseuds/Treerat
Summary: Been "dry" on writing for too long!  Finally pulled up a story idea that's been wondering around in my head for who knows how long.  Not sure how many chapters there will be to this but do know what the last one will look like.A badly injured fox tod has an "out-of-body" experience.





	1. Fox Inside: Reincarnation??

                                                                     

               “…n event that my condition is deemed hopeless, I grant permission to use experimental/untried drugs and/or procedures upon myself.  Even if they do not help/work, at least that is information gained as a result.”

 

               The medical tech. looked on as the gazelle doc scanned over the paperwork he held for the sixth time.

               “Like he’s wanting to be sure the words haven’t changed or moved from the last five times,” the jaguarundi thought.

               It was understandable.  They were dealing with a highly decorated war veteran, a publicly well known one, at that, in an extreme situation.  Living will or not (the JAG mammals had been through it already) things had to be done with care.

               “Wish all our vulpines got similar consideration and treatment across the board,” the feline thought.

               Still, in the military, things were not as bad for foxes, and some other species, as they were on the ‘Outside’.  For all the talk of all mammals being in for equal treatment by the Law and such a lot of that was, just below the surface, more lip service than actuality.  He canted his eyes to the room’s bed.  With all of the tubes in him and the sensor electrodes attached to him, the red fox tod looked like some kind of nightmare octopus.

               “He makes it into the elite forces branch and this happens.  Has a serious accident while rock climbing in the mountains on his own time!  Makes one wonder if the Higher Being really does have a cruel streak in ‘um.”

               The gray furred cat’s eyes narrowed.

               “Or just doesn’t care,” he added to himself.

               A shake of his head, he returned his attention to the doc.  He was looking at the tod.

               “Alright.  Call research and tell them they’ve got their test subject for the regen treatment,” the antilopini buck said.

               With a nod, the feline left.  The doctor went on looking at his patient.

               “I’d wish you luck, you crazy fox.  But you’ve been pretty good at making your own,” the buck said.  “Don’t see you stopping now.”

 

               *             *             *             *             *               *             *             *             *             *               *

 

               Darkness.

               “So, this is it.  Death.  Just a black nothing.  No guiding light, no angel or demon to point the way.  Just…nothing,” the disembodied one thought.

               His snark covered for the fact that he was in what looked like an utterly hopeless situation.

               “I didn’t think I’d done bad enough in my life to rate _this_!” he thought.

               Then, there was a ‘sensation’ of movement.  And, it felt like he was accelerating.

               “Guess I’m going somewhere after all.”

               Suddenly, there was a small spot of light and it grew as he approached.  Then, an explosion of light, a feel of something against his face, and the realization that he couldn’t breathe.

 

               *             *             *             *             *               *             *             *             *             *               *

 

               “It’ll be over soon,” the buck said aloud to his victim.

               His target had reacted just as expected when he slammed down and held the pillow over their face; struggles, hand paws beating and clawing at his leather protected arms, wrists, and hands.  Claws at his face were equally ineffective due to the tough leather mask covering it.  The only disadvantage of that mask was the limited seeing through the small eye slits.  Compared to getting into this isolated manor and its cave complex, doing in his subject was easy.  Then, something changed.  The hands stopped flailing on him.  Instead, they moved quickly along his arms, wrists, and hands as if checking out the armor.  Next, they moved to his face and swept over the mask.  Alarm bells began clanging in the assassin’s head.  This wasn’t right behavior from his victim!  Those hands found and grabbed the edges of the mask then yanked on it.  It remained in place, held there by the web of strapping that encompassed his head.  Hands let go and moved quickly over and around his head…and found where his ears joined it.  The ringing of those mental bells intensified.

 

               *             *             *             *             *               *             *             *             *             *               *

 

               “There!” the tod thought.

               He spread his arms wide and flattened out his hands, then brought them back to his attacker’s head with all the strength he could muster; the palms right over the mammal’s ear openings.  Two things happened; there was a scream of pain and whatever covered his face loosened.  Arms wide again and another slam over those ear channels.  Again, a cry of pain and a little more lessening of that obstruction.

               “Grab mask and twist!”

               Adrenalin fired strength twisted the assailant’s head and came close to snapping his neck.  Trained to take pain, the assassin grimly hung on.  Then, a clasped double fist slammed into his chin and his upper body snapped backwards from the force of the unexpected blow.  Almost blind from pain and tears, the buck felt his target move under him, getting legs out from beneath him.

               “What?!!  How can they…”

               Feet thumped into his chest and he was launched away from the bed and its occupant.

               “NO!  This can’t be!!” he thought.

 

               *             *             *             *             *               *             *             *             *             *               *

 

               Pillow gone, the vulpine was able to see as well as breathe.  Though sent sprawling on the floor, the attacker was rolling forwards to get on their feet.  He grabbed that suffocating pillow and threw it over the mammal’s face to distract.  A swift scan and he saw a three legged wooden stool by the bed and grabbed it.

 

               *             *             *             *             *               *             *             *             *             *               *

 

               Grabbing the pillow, the buck yanked it aside…just in time to see his victim swing a wood stool at him, at his head, at his face.  Of all the things that registered, the main one was the fact that his intended kill stood on their feet.

               “It _can’t_ **_be_**!!” was the last thought he had.

 

               *             *             *             *             *               *             *             *             *             *               *

 

               The edge of the stool smashed into the nose slits of the mask and the tod actually heard the sound of the bone and cartilage breaking and shattering.  The force of the hit drove a spray of bone splinters into the buck’s brain and oblivion claimed him.

 

               *             *             *             *             *               *             *             *             *             *               *

 

               Huffing mightily, he struck twice more on his foe’s face. Then, holding the round top in both paws, fell to his knees onto the prostrate form and brought the edge of his improvised weapon down onto that enemy’s throat.  There was another crunch of crushing cartilage and shattering bone beneath the leather that covered that neck.  Sure, now, of the kill, the vulpine struggled to his feet once more.

               “Lord Maker of All!  What is wrong with me?  My legs feel as weak as rubber bands!” he stated aloud.

               Something clicked in his head.

               “Wait a sec!  That was _MY_ voice?!” he asked himself.

               He looked himself over, and in the room’s dim lighting, he saw his paws; digits shorter then he remembered, with the tips white furred and the rest of the fur was….

               “Gray, not dark brown.”

               A look down at his feet and he saw that they, too, appeared smaller and had the same style white toe tip and gray fur as his paws.

               “What the…” he started, then his eye caught sight of a large mirror close to a wall.

               Seeing the image in it, he felt his jaw go slack and the reflection’s mouth dropped open.    There was a pink nose pad above the near gaping mouth and he could feel it twitching.  The most noticeable feature on that mammal was the pair of long ears set at about “half mast” on its head.  The outer edges of the upper quarter of those ears were black furred.  He took a step forward and that reflection mimicked it. Now, the tod was close enough to make out the color of the eyes. 

               “Purple…amethyst, not green,” he thought.

               All of it was about to overload his mental capacity when he defaulted to his defense mode.  Eyes canted upwards, and head following, to where he looked to the plaster covered ceiling.

               "Maker!  Great Maker!!  What have I done to have you reincarnate me as a **_bunny_**?!!”


	2. Fox Inside; Chap 2: Discoveries and Discussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY got something done! It's short but moves things along some.
> 
> The two minds in one bunny body have a talk.

Chapter 2: Discoveries and Discussions

 

               Eyes returning to that mirror, the fox looked his reflection over again.  It was still the same, a bunny wearing some kind of sleeveless shirt that came down to the knees in length.  To the tod’s eye, that garment had a fine quality look to it.  A piece of clothing for someone with some wealth, and the status to go with it.  There was something else the make up of that shirt ‘said’.

               “It’s something likely worn by a…” he thought, then stopped.

               Dreading what he might find, but having to know one way or the other, he grasped the side of that shirt and then lifted it up enough to see…                Already shaky legs trembled all the more.  Not wanting to collapse on the floor, he leaned back a couple of degrees and backpedaled until legs encountered the side of the bed and flopped down on his…her back onto it.  The fox/rabbit shook his head as if to clear it, then closed his eyes.

               “Maker! Devine!  Spirits!  ANYONE of power who can hear me, _please_ let this be some kind of weird dream that I’ll wake up from soo…”

               Something seemed to be scratching, tapping(?), at the figurative back of his mind.  It got stronger, more insistent.  And, there was a faint sound, like a voice, with it.  He focused on it, trying to make out what was being said, and as he did, he felt something; terror!  An instant later, it felt like something pushed him backwards and passed him at the same time.  As it did, that sense of terror rolled over him like a tidal wave! 

               “Get out!  Get out!!  GET OUT!!!” a voice screamed.

               Two things happened; one was the…sound of the voice seemed to have two sources, one in his ears, the other in his head.  And two, it felt like something shoved him backwards and to one side at the same time.  His vision changed, as if he had, somehow taken a half step backwards from the whole scene of the room.  Next, he faintly felt his(?) mouth move, even though he wasn’t trying to say anything.  Then…

               “Get out!  Get out!  Get OUT of me, Demon!”

               It was that voice he had heard when he had spoken aloud earlier.  With it came a “blast” of emotion that was, now, a mix of anger and near terror.

               “But, I’m not trying to say anything!” the tod thought.

               The next thing he knew, he saw hands and arms moving in some kind of patterns within his field of vision.  At the same time, he heard words that made no sense to him.  This went on for about a minute, then ceased.  A few heartbeats passed, then a few decidedly profane words and those hands patterns and the accompanying unintelligible words happened again.

               A pause.

               “Yes?” he ‘spoke’.

               “You’re still there?!” he hears.

               “Still here,” he ‘replied’.

               “Curse and DAMN this shield!!” he heard.  “Demon!  How did you get past it to possess me?!  It’s supposed to be proof against your kind!”

               “Huh?  Bunny fluff, I have no idea what you are talking about!”

               Eyes lidded almost half way shut and that anger/terror mix was pushed away some to be replaced by another emotion mix; thoughtful curiosity.  Things remained that way for a short stretch of time.

               “Hmmmmm, if you were a Demon in possession of my body you would not have surrendered it back to me,” he heard her say.

               “Unless there was some advantage to doing so,” he tossed back with more than a little snark.

               Those eyelids squinted down a little more.

               “Now why the Hell did I say that?!” came his self-questioning.

               “That is extremely unlikely.  The tales say that once in possession of someone that the Demon does not let go,” the bunny said.

               “Sun Shu says ’Warfare, in all of its forms, is based on deception.  Therefore, one must appear to be anything other than what they are’,” fox tod quoted.

               Seconds ticked by as that other self mauled things over.

               “A non-Demon entity in another’s body,” the vulpine heard her say aloud.  “Are you a Wandering Spirit?”

               “Huh?  What’s that?”

               Quiet.

               “A Wandering Spirit is the life essence, the soul, if you will, of some person who died before they completed one or more tasks that the Great One set for them.  This, or these, task(s) MUST be done, accomplished, before their spirit can move on or rest,” came the explanation.

               He thought on that.

               “Hmmm, yes.  We have a similar belief, legend where I am from,” the tod said with a metaphysical nod.

               Pause.

               “And just where are you from?” she asked.

               He decided to ‘punt’ for the moment.

               “That is something for a later discussion.  Right now, I think we have to deal with something of more immediate concern.”

               “What is that?”

               Couple of heartbeats.

               “You don’t know?!” he asked in astonishment.  “You don’t remember?”

               “I…I remember having a…nightmare in which I was suffocating, but I’m awake, now.”

               “Oooooookay,” the fox thought.

               “Sit up then look around at the floor on your left side,” he instructed.

               She did as told, and spotted the immobile body lying there.

               “Oh,” she said, softly.  “It wasn’t a dream.”

               “Nope, it wasn’t.  Bunny fluff, someone wants you dead.  Care to tell me who it is and why?”


End file.
